1 Coker's chance: Last season, Blake Sims made his mark in the Crimson Tide's first SEC game versus Florida. Jake Coker will have a similar opportunity today. A strong showing against one of the SEC's top defense could change a lot of opinions about Coker. He's been inconsistent at best through the first two games. Now is the time for the fifth-year senior to put it all together. If he doesn't, Cooper Bateman is on standby.

2 A healthy Kelly: In both the 2013 and last season's game, Tide center Ryan Kelly went down with injuries. Alabama still won in 2013, but the offense really sputtered when Kelly got hurt last year. Kelly is the Tide's most experienced lineman, and he also puts all of the other players in the right position. Keeping him healthy could be one of the things that puts the Tide over the top this season.

3 King Henry: Derrick Henry is already getting a ton of Heisman hype. He ran all over Wisconsin, and made big plays against Middle Tennessee State in the few opportunities he got. Through two games, the junior tailback has six rushing touchdowns. Henry could put himself firmly at the front of the Heisman line with a strong showing today.

4 Nkemdiche watch: Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche has become a force on both sides. The junior is often immovable on the line, but he's added pass catching and ball carrier to his resume this season. Nkemdiche has scored two offensive touchdowns this season (1 rush, 1 receiving). Just one more thing for the Tide's defenders to watch for in the redzone.

KEY MATCHUP

Alabama's secondary vs. Ole Miss' passing game

All the talk of a rebuilt secondary and how new position coach Mel Tucker helped changed the unit won't matter if the Tide struggles against Ole Miss. Wisconsin isn't a pass-heavy team, and while Middle Tennessee did some nice things, the Raiders don't have the same type of talent as Ole Miss.

Alabama should be in its nickel package for the majority of the game which means Cyrus Jones, Marlon Humphrey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Eddie Jackson and Geno Matias-Smith should get a full workout today.

Along with their tight end, the Rebels' top four receiving targets all stand 6-foot-2 or taller. Treadwell leads the team with nine receptions (117 yards), while Cody Core, Quincy Adeboyejo and tight end Evan Engram all have eight a piece.

Also, Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly leads the NCAA in pass efficiency (234.0) and yards per pass attempt (13.9) while leading the SEC with six touchdown passes (T-3rd in nation).

Player of the week

Kenyan Drake

RB, Sr., 6-1, 210

Everyone knows this has been the game Drake has been eyeing. Ole Miss ended Drake's season last year, as he broke his leg on a play against the Rebels. Expect Drake to get a healthy amount of touches as both a running back and a receiver. He already leads the Tide with 139 receiving yards. Saban has said that the team wants to get Drake even more involved, so look for Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin to be extra creative with the versatile senior on Saturday.

PREDICTION

Both teams are supremely talented and feature arguably the SEC's top two defenses. But one stat jumps out when thinking about this contest. During Saban's tenure, the Tide is 9-1 versus teams who beat them in the previous matchup. The lone back-to-back losses came in 2010 and 2011 to LSU, but the Tide got revenge in the biggest way by beating the Tigers for the 2011 national championship. That said, it's tough to see Ole Miss coming into Bryant-Denny and beating an Alabama team hungry for revenge.

0: Alabama's kicker Adam Griffith has made zero field goals and is 0-for-4 this season.

17: Alabama has won 17 consecutive games inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide's last home loss came in 2012 against Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel.

73: Ole Miss is the first SEC team to ever score 73-plus points in back-to-back games and the first team from any conference since Houston in 1968. The Rebels also surpassed 600 total yards in both games.

1988: That's the last time Ole Miss beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. None of Alabama's current players were born then.